


Tea Time

by HoneyGrunge



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Content Warning - description of genital injury, Eunuch Character, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Heavy Angst, If you could even call this romance?? Idfk, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, Reader-Insert, Smut, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:13:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyGrunge/pseuds/HoneyGrunge
Summary: As Kirin's personal assistant, it's your job to keep up with his strict schedule without being nosy. But today Kirin isn't his usual self, and you just can't help but ask him why.*Written with a chubby reader in mind but I tried to keep descriptions vague so it can hopefully still apply to people with some other body types too*1st chapter is mainly porn and fluff, 2nd chapter is more plotted and angsty with less porn
Relationships: Kirin Jindosh/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for this while playing Dishonored 2. I accidentally ended up stabbing Kirin in the groin before killing him, and I feel terrible about it because he looked like he was in so much pain, poor thing 😭😭 so I'm writing this to try to make it up to him lmao. Enjoy!
> 
> Update: I realized after writing this that apparently it was a kick and not a stab but hey it made for an okay oneshot so 👌👌

Kirin Jindosh was a creature of habit, a man of ritual who took his tea and cigar every day at 1 pm sharp. Every afternoon you set up his tray, selecting fruits straight from the delivery cart and arranging them next to some crackers, cheeses, and cured meat as you waited for his Darjeeling to steep. Then, after quickly checking the clock, you’d make your way up to his quarters, eyeing the dormant clockwork soldiers as they silently guarded the corridors and promised a bloody death to whatever intruder was smart enough to make it this far into Kirin’s maze.

You nodded to the guard as you passed, and the amiable man gave you a friendly smile. You’d walked past him every day for about six months now, ever since you’d been promoted to Kirin’s personal assistant. You still had no idea how you’d managed to land the gig, but some of the other women in the kitchens had tittered and casted you knowing looks once the promotion had been announced. Whatever they meant by it they wouldn’t say, but you had a growing suspicion that the inventor may be sweet on you as each week serving the genius went by. Either that or he wanted you to think he was, as part of some sick joke. At any rate, he'd recently started keeping you longer during these tea times, and having you read to him while he sat and smoked, quietly observing you. Other days he even let you walk with him through the vineyards, making small talk as if he were not one of the most important men in the Empire and you were not a peasant.

When you had finally reached the heavy wooden doors you shifted the tray and let yourself in, knowing that Jindosh wouldn’t care if you showed up unannounced. Quietly shutting the door behind you, you turned only to make the shocking realization that Kirin wasn’t in his desk chair. He was  _ always  _ in that chair, or at least he hadn’t broken that tradition in all your time of serving him. Worry settled deep in your chest; your employer had many enemies, all of whom had a variety of assassins at their disposal.

Just as you were about to call out for him, Kirin rounded the corner through one of the archways of his balcony and started when he saw you. He looked terrible, to put it lightly: his shirt was undone, his hair was mussed, and the dark bags under his eyes belied a sleepless night.

“Ah, (Y/N), right on time, as always,” he greeted, treating you to his tight-lipped smile and waving to the tea table where he normally had you place the tray. Someone who didn’t know him might have thought the smile to be born of malice, and yes, sometimes it was. Kirin could be downright cruel at times, you weren't ignorant of that. But you knew him well enough by now to know that any emotion he expressed was simply thwarted by an unconscious mask of disdain. He was quite the loner and had minimal patience for "idiots", so over time his frustrated pessimism had become a permanent trait. You'd tasted some of it yourself, in fact, but generally he was quite gentle with your feelings in particular. Whereas he was quick to yell at the cooks for under- or over-cooking dinner, he rarely berated you, even if you accidentally spilled tea or didn't bring the fruit he'd wanted that day. 

“Afternoon, sir,” you said as sweetly as you could, giving him a small bow and watching as he selected a grape. He bit it in half and swallowed, then his face twisted and he dropped the uneaten half back down onto the tray. His expression was now sour; his brow was dark and pensive as he let his eyes slide shut and took another drag on his cigar. Your worry ran deep now, because if something had him this upset then it must be  _ incredibly  _ serious.

“Sir, if I may ask: are you all right?” you whispered. His piercing eyes - delicately ringed with black kohl and naturally full lashes - fixed you with a neutral gaze, but you could swear there was something primal lingering deep in his expression: fear.

“Sit,” he said in lieu of an answer, gesturing to your usual chair placed at the edge of his desk. You complied, expectantly waiting for him to take his place, but instead he opted to pace, completely ignoring his food. This allowed you to occupy yourself by studying his lithe form, watching his hips as he sidled back and forth over the shiny wooden floorboards. A small blush graced your cheeks when you caught yourself staring at his bulge and you immediately dropped your eyes to your hands. You’d always thought that Kirin was an unconventionally - and yet devastatingly - handsome man, but you also knew that powerful men like him rarely went for women like you. That is to say, men like him didn’t go for chubby girls. He did seem to enjoy your presence, but if he'd wanted to make a move he would have done so by now.

“You asked if I am all right,” he started, snapping you out of your thoughts. He paused in front of you and sighed, scratching his forehead with a thumb while he tucked his other arm beneath the elbow of the first. His cigar leaked strands of thick smoke up into the air and a few crumbles of ash flitted down to the floor as you waited.

“You have heard of the Lord Protector? Corvo Attano? From before the Age of our Empress Delilah?” he said, making eye contact with you again.

“Yes, sir, of course. He sought to usurp the Empress and place his daughter back on the throne.”

“And you must also know that he attempted to assassinate me, while he was on his rampage?” he said, exhaling a plume of smoke.

“Yes, the waitstaff still speak of it,” you said quietly, dread building in your heart. “Why do you mention him?”

“Corvo Attano has escaped Coldridge prison, again. We opted to let him waste away instead of execution but now I see that was a terrible choice. And he has been sighted outside of Dunwall. Duke Luca has been found dead inside his home.”

You stared at him, dumbstruck.

“B-but...why haven’t we heard of it yet?”

“The news outlets did not want to spark fear and unrest,” he explained, finally moving over to sit in his chair. “Corvo will come for me next, I am sure of it. To finish his botched job from before,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone, but you could hear a tremble in his voice. It was disconcerting seeing this normally aloof and collected man so distraught for the first time.

“Well, surely your clockwork army can stop him?” you said with confidence, leaning forward in your attempt to lift his spirits.

“At this point I am nearly convinced that nothing can stop him,” Kirin said quietly with an air of resignation.

The both of you sat in silence for a few moments until Kirin cleared his throat.

“Not many know of the consequences I suffered from his attempt on my life,” he said. You watched him with reverence, surprised that he was suddenly opening up like this, to you of all people.

“To put it simply, I am a eunuch. He aimed low and dirty with his blade and robbed me of my manhood. Well, part of it at least, as I had reconstruction surgery from some of our best surgeons. And a touch of Delilah's arcane intervention; I'm forever indebted to her. Now I am sentenced to daily testosterone injections, to replace what I have lost. It maintains my body and libido but...I shall never have children of my own now.”

He fell silent then, letting you process what you’d just taken in. Horror and pity festered deep in your ribcage, and you were at a loss for words. Kirin smiled, softer this time, his face finally relaxing now that he’d let one of his walls down. Both his veil of secrecy and the stress of hiding this traumatic detail seemed to slough off of his shoulders. He settled back in his chair with a sigh.

“I-” you started, but he cut you off.

“You do not need to say anything. I simply wanted a confidant to relieve some of the pressure, and who better to tell than a lovely woman?”

You blinked, dumbfounded for what must be the third time in just five minutes.

“Lovely?” You'd had your suspicions that he was attracted to you but to hear him say it took a second or two to sink in.

“Oh yes,” he said, finally placing the butt of his cigar in the ashtray and leaning forward to clasp his slender fingers. “You are a beautiful woman, and I regret not telling you that I thought so earlier. I suppose I was simply self-conscious, due to what I am lacking. And I never wanted to make you feel forced to please me by coming on too soon. I may be a genius, but not when it comes to ladies.”

“You’re a gorgeous man, sir, any woman would be daft to reject you based on an injury you cannot help,” you blurted with conviction, watching his brows jump up at your words. “And what’s better is you’ve never mistreated me. I admit I’d heard some unflattering rumors about you before meeting you but...now, bringing you your tea is the highlight of my day.”

Kirin stood and walked over to you, taking your hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. His eyes were hooded now, and it took you a moment to realize that the intent was sexual.

“Would you lie with me?”

The question was so simple, so straightforward, but you still couldn’t believe it was happening. Still, if it were a dream then there was no way in hell you were letting it slip away.

“Of course,” you breathed, gasping in surprise when he dipped down to capture your lips in a searing kiss. The gesture was passionate and forceful, carrying all the need and desire of a man who had not been with a woman since being unmanned. You moaned against his soft lips and reached up to caress his neck, tightening a hand in his hair as he returned the noise. He pulled away very suddenly and grasped your hand in his, pulling you up and out of the chair so he could corral you over towards his bed. He held you close and nuzzled your throat as you shuffled back, ending the contact with a needy bite just before pushing you back down on the soft mattress. Whimpering, you watched as he tugged off your boots and slipped his hands up your calves, gently massaging you and delighting in how curvy your legs were. Next he had your smock pushed up around your hips and your panties pulled down, slipped down your legs and flung across the room as he fell to his knees in front of you.

“I have desired you since I first saw you and asked that you be promoted,” he groaned, capturing your hips in a desperate grip and bringing his mouth down to kiss at your mons. You squeaked and self consciousness overwhelmed you; what if you weren’t fresh enough?? What if he didn’t like your hair situation? But Kirin did not stop. His tongue slipped between your folds and quickly found your clit, licking and sucking you with a vengeance until he had your gasping and clutching at the sheets. Your excitement was building embarrassingly fast; you’d desired Jindosh for so long and touched yourself thinking of him so many times that what was happening was putting your system into overload. All it took was one gentle finger slipping deep inside for you to cum, gasping out his name and bucking into his mouth while he hummed against your vulva in contentment.

“Delicious,” he murmured, pulling away and giving you a dirty smirk. You bit your lip and sat up, reaching out to grasp the sleeve of his shirt and pull him up onto the bed.

“If you get to pleasure me with your mouth then I get to do the same,” you insisted, gently rubbing his thigh and pausing when he tensed. He looked unsure but upon seeing your flushed and eager face he gave in, reaching down to unbutton himself and stopping when you gently knocked his hands out of the way.

“Allow me,” you whispered, slipping down onto your knees and taking it slow, massaging his legs from knee to thigh as slow as you could. Jindosh relaxed as you worked over his thigh muscles and eventually he was leaning back on his arms, watching with lazy eyes as you finally moved up to rub right over his groin. He was  _ hard _ , you could feel his solid length straining against his too-tight trousers and his small gasp of approval only confirmed the discovery. You unbuttoned him and leaned forward to catch his zipper with your teeth, tugging it down as seductively as you could while he watched with a deep blush climbing up his neck. Soon his silken briefs were bared to you and through the piss slit your could see the dusky, tender skin of his cock. It didn’t take much to get his member to spring free; all you had to do was slip one edge to the side and his cock was jutting up into the breezy outdoor air wafting in from the balcony. His cock was bigger than you'd anticipated, but then again you hadn't known exactly what you had expected. It was rather average in the girth category, but it definitely took first place in the length. You should’ve expected as much, with his slender build and tall height, but then again you could never really tell just from looking at a man.

Next you noticed the twisting, brutal scar, which was puckered and pink and caused his cock to veer to the left. The jagged line indicated a complete severance and reattachment of his penis and then traveled down into his briefs. You didn’t bother to investigate further, knowing it would undoubtedly make Kirin uncomfortable. You pulled away for a moment to tug your blouse over your head and undo your bra, baring your breasts to his gaze and giggling when he let out a shuddering groan of desire. He reached down and took you into his hands, kneading you until your nipples were pebbled against his palms and a droplet of precum began forming at the tip of his cock. You were surprised his body could make it but then again, he still had his prostate. Finally he pulled away and you were able to settle yourself between his legs once more. Instead of immediately taking him into your mouth you used your finger to trace a prominent vein, stopping beneath his glans and rubbing the pad of your finger into his sensitive frenulum. He gasped out your name and let his head fall to the side, biting his lip as you continued the intense teasing.

“Please, take me into your mouth,” he begged, falling apart under the ministrations and nearly trembling with restraint. 

You obeyed and slipped your hands up to hold onto his waist as you went down on him. You took all that you could in one go and sucked as hard as you could, eventually realizing that you would have to pleasure the lower half of his cock with a hand. So you soon settled into a rhythm, bobbing up and down on him and focusing your efforts on his glans first and foremost. Kirin rewarded you with breathy moans that soon became loud groans, and before long he was pushing you away to avoid climaxing too soon.

“Come, I must have you now,” he insisted, pulling you up into the bed and rolling over until he was on top of you. His hands roamed all over you, from your breasts to your hips to your belly, appreciating all of you and only growing more aroused at what he discovered. After a while of this intimate exploration he pulled away and struggled out of his shirt, now completely naked since he’d shed his trousers with the blowjob. He helped you out of your skirts, and upon sitting up you were able to observe his groin in full. Where a scrotum should be there was nothing, and the scar extended down to cover most of that area between his legs. Either Corvo had stabbed him enough to turn him to a pulp, or the damage had been simply so well-placed that his testes has not been salvageable. Or, you thought with a sickening twist of your stomach, Corvo's blade had been dirty and brought on gangrene.

This disturbing observation only lasted a few moments and then you were on your back again with Kirin on top of you. He reached down to fit himself inside and then thrusted with fervor, knowing you were already wet enough to take what he had to offer. You gasped when you felt how deep he could reach; it was deeper than any other man had been able to fill you before. Kirin locked your head in with his arms and repositioned himself before resuming his thrusting, his face beautifully contorted with pleasure and his muscles tense with effort.

“Gods, you’re an angel, so soft and sweet and perfect,” he praised, practically pounding into you now with an unsteady rhythm. He’d fallen out of practice since the encounter with Corvo, but you truly didn’t mind. He whispered strings of praises and sweet nothings to you while you cried out his name, and soon you felt another orgasm building deep in your core. Kirin reached down to rub you when he felt you tighten, and that was all you needed to hit that glorious second peak. Kirin groaned long and low in his chest and climaxed soon after, driven to his own end by the greedy flutters of your pleasure. Then he collapsed on top of you and nuzzled deep into your throat, moaning low when you hugged him into yourself and ran a hand through his sweat-damp hair. He stayed like this for what must’ve been a good half hour, soaking in your affection and making up for all those years spent in touch-starved loneliness. Eventually he shifted and his soft cock slipped out of you; he looked exhausted now, but he opted to sit up instead of lie down. You followed suit to give him a kiss and he nibbled your lip, chuckling into your mouth when he caught your gaze straying over to the tray of food.

“Please, help yourself. I have not had an appetite all day,” he offered, leaning over to fetch the tray and settling it down between you on the bed. As you ate a melancholy fear gripped your heart once you remembered the news Kirin had shared with you.

“Please promise me that you won’t put yourself in any position for Corvo to get to you,” you said, giving him a pleading look of deep concern. “I know he can be stopped. If he was before he can be stopped again, I’m sure of it.”

Kirin smiled and reached for a piece of aged cheese, winking and suddenly adopting an air of mischief. 

“Do you have a suitor? A husband? A wife? It occurs to me that I've never learned of your love life.”

“No,” you said, cocking a brow. “Why?”

“I was going to ask if you would like to keep me company in my bunker, that’s all,” he said, popping the cheese into his mouth. You rolled your eyes and nodded, flinging a particularly fat grape at his moustache.

“Of course, sir. You didn’t even have to ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr and Twitter: Maedhros36
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!! <333
> 
> Note: I know Kirin uses his prosthetic fingers as a makeshift pipe but I just thought a cigar would be hotter lol


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always thought that Kirin's nonlethal is incredibly cruel and decided to use it to continue this story because why the hell not, ya feel?
> 
> Also I feel like the trauma of becoming a eunuch may have softened Kirin a little around the edges, so that's why he's a little OOC as far as emotions in this fic.

You spent the next few days on tenterhooks, razing the daily newspapers for any news of Corvo and chewing your nails down to the quick. Kirin only seemed to deteriorate as each day passed: he wasn’t eating, he wasn’t talking much at all, he hadn’t bathed, and last night he had summoned you to his bedchamber in the middle of the night. When you arrived you had discovered two active clockwork soldiers and a restless Kirin, who asked you to lie in bed with him so he could hopefully get some rest. He’d fallen asleep curled up against your thigh, having passed out almost as soon as you’d started reading his favorite passage of  _ The Book of the New Sun _ . When you’d woken up the next morning he wasn’t anywhere to be found, so you’d allowed yourself to aimlessly wander the clockwork mansion, snacking on candied fruit and mulling over what was happening between the two of you. 

You had to admit that Kirin did scare you to a certain degree. There were stories of his using humans in experiments, and he never let you into his labs. What’s more is that Kirin had absolutely no loved ones, no family or friends who ever came around to check in on him. He simply didn’t invest in relationships of any sort. And you suspected that his sadness towards being unable to father children had more to do with his wanting to carry on his intellect rather than having a child simply to love it. While these misgivings crawled about in the edges of your mind, you couldn’t help but remember how Kirin had lain atop you, snuggled up close and showed you a completely different side of himself that you’d never expected.

Maybe Kirin was some sort of psychopath. Maybe he only wanted you for sex and the occasional, universal comfort that the vast majority of humans needed. Perhaps neither of those things were true and he was simply a depressed, fundamentally traumatized man who naturally did not enjoy engaging with other people. In truth all of it could be true, since humans were first and foremost creatures of contradiction. Whatever the case may be, he had not hurt you so far and it did not appear that he intended to do so. That in itself was enough for you, and even if he never developed true feelings for you, you felt that you could continue like this, just settling for your daily routine.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing a woman could suffer in this world.

“Y/N.”

You flinched with surprise at Kirin’s voice coming from directly behind you. He must’ve detected and found you using the intricate clockwork systems embedded in the walls of the mansion. A quick once-over revealed that he seemed to have at least had a bath and changed clothes. You gave him a smile and offered him a piece of fruit, but he shook his head.

“It is time to move into the bunker. I’ve spent the last few days preparing it, and just in time. Corvo has been sighted in the lower Aventa District.”

“He isn't very good at not being seen, is he?” you mused, tagging along behind Kirin and struggling to keep up with his long strides.

“On the contrary, if he does not want to be seen, he won’t be. He’s trying to scare me,” Kirin explained as he led you to the elevator. “He’s more desperate than before, and more enraged since Delilah shattered the granite statue that once was Emily.”

You rode the rest of the way in silence, unsure of how to act around him since he wasn’t making any indications of affection. When the elevator finally dinged you followed him off and realized you were outside the assessment chamber, which you’d never been allowed to see before. Staring in curiosity, you squinted through the glass at what appeared to be a lump of clothing. When you realized it was a body you gasped, prompting Kirin to pause and follow your line of sight.

“Science requires sacrifice, darling. Even Sokolov used humans at one point.” He reached out and took your hand, waiting until you nodded and turned away before continuing to lead you to a stairwell. The steps were winding and endless; sweat was dripping down between your shoulder blades by the time you finally reached what appeared to be a massive safe door. Jindosh pulled out a circle of keys and spent a good three minutes unlocking it in a certain pattern, muttering to himself whenever an internal cog released. Finally, it was open, and Kirin beckoned you inside first before following and re-locking the door.

The bunker was cavernous, lit by Kirin’s magnificent electrical whale oil sconces and decorated with similar furniture as the mansion. Bookcases towered high and scientific instruments were scattered about in Kirin’s usual meandering unorganized manner. While you stared Kirin slipped a hand onto your waist, pulling you closer against him with a hum. Remembering the corpse in the assessment chamber you froze up, and he took notice.

“You’re afraid of me,” he observed, disappointment obvious in his voice. But he did not sound surprised. He slipped his hand off of your hip and pulled away, walking over to one of the many workstations housed near the bookshelves. He picked up a small box off of the nearest workstation, turning back to face you and holding it out. “I made you a gift.”

You studied him, relaxing when you saw that his face was set into a strained mask of neutrality. He was upset that he’d scared you and was trying his best to hide it. You’d already suspected that you’d have to turn a blind eye to some things in order to be with Kirin, so what was any different now?

“What a gentleman,” you flirted, reaching out to accept the box. It was a rich purple, and velvety to the touch, tied closed with a lacy pink bow. You raised your eyebrows and glanced at Kirin, who now had a sheepish look plastered across his face.

“A scullery maid told me that women like violet.”

“Generalizations aren’t always accurate, Kirin,” you teased, but in reality you loved it. He smirked and sat on the edge of the workstation, waiting while you pulled off the bow and popped off the beautiful lid.

Inside was some sort of device: it was made of wood but very obviously had clockwork elements. It was about as big as your palm and came to an odd, broadly tapered tip. Kirin chuckled at your confusion and reached out to take it, clicking a small button in the middle. The device vibrated, buzzing away in his palm while his smirk deepened.

“What is it?”

“I call it a vibrator.”

“What’s it for?”

“Sexual stimulation.”

“I hope you don’t expect me to try it out on my own,” you whispered, the last remnants of fear melting away as desire bloomed between your thighs. Your body remembered the pleasure Kirin had given you and was demanding more, eager to try out this novel invention.

“I was hoping you’d make such a proposal.”

Next thing you knew you were in a spacey bathroom and Kirin was impatiently undressing you, nearly tearing your bra in his haste to get to your bare skin. As soon as your breasts were bared he took a nipple into his mouth and sucked, his fear from the past few days melting when faced with the glorious distraction that was your body. You panted and pushed against his mouth, moaning when he let go to pull his own clothes off. He hastily drew a bath and filled it with salts, then slipped in and held out a hand to help you in. Capturing his lips with yours, you settled over him and took to kissing his face, throat, anything you could get your mouth on. Kirin chuckled and bathed you while you doted on him, then returned the favor so you could bathe him. Once you were both clean he picked up the vibrator off the ledge and maneuvered you until you were lying back-to-chest with him. A skilled hand pulled your left leg open, encouraging you to spread yourself wide for him. You shuddered in anticipation when the vibrator rumbled to life and he lowered it into the water, teasing it close to your skin so you could feel the effects amplified by the water. You gasped; he slipped it down between your legs and settled it over your clit without warning. 

“Oh  _ GODS _ , Kirin!” you cried. He nuzzled your ear and ground the toy down into you, lowering the setting once he realized you couldn’t take the current one. You’d never felt a sensation like this, and Kirin knew it. Honeysweet smug pride dripped from his smooth voice as he whispered in your ear.

“You’re such a good girl for me, such a brazen little slut,” he cooed, squeezing a breast while circling your clit. You bucked against the vibrator and moaned, feeling his erection pressing into your back and hearing his sharp gasp when you trapped it between your bodies. You settled yourself into a more comfortable position and started rocking, stimulating him while you felt your own peak amping up in response to the intense buzzing focused between your legs.

“Say my name,” he growled, now moving with you to get as much pleasure as he could from the grinding. 

“ _ Kiriiiiinnnnnn _ ,” you whimpered, turning your face to kiss him. “You’re so fucking smart, I can’t believe I’m lucky enough that you’re attracted to me.”

He gritted his teeth and grunted one last time before cumming, sent over the edge by your praise of his intellect. You smiled and focused again on your own pleasure, storing away this discovery about his ego being stroked for a later date. You allowed yourself to give in to the powerful sensations taking over your nervous system, causing you to melt into Kirin when your climax finally hit. It was beyond intense; you almost blacked out for a second, and you wouldn’t be surprised if people could hear you all the way in the mansion. You collapsed against Kirin, who was already slumped against the back of the tub, looking as if he might fall asleep right there in the water.

“Come on, let’s go to bed,” you prompted, stepping out and grabbing the towels neatly folded at the head of the tub. Kirin followed and accepted the towel, then led you to the bunker’s bedroom. It was very similar to his own up in the mansion, with the obvious loss of his balcony. Kirin dried his hair and slipped into a pair of soft pajamas before falling into bed. You followed suit and snuggled up close to him, burrowing deep into the comforter and tucking yourself under his chin.

“Kirin?”

“Mmmm?” he grunted.

“Why did you choose me? I mean, I’m not the prettiest. I’m not rich, or very smart.”

Kirin thought for a moment, then pulled away and looked down at you.

“Growing up, I was poor. I never had as much money as the other students at the academy. I pulled myself up from rags, and made a name for myself without my family’s help. I’ve found that those who grew up privileged just don’t understand. And they turn out untrustworthy. You are not like them.”

You nodded and pulled away to let him sleep, knowing he usually preferred his space.

You had your answer, and you were content.

  
  
  


You were woken by raised voices, jolted out of your dreams by Kirin yelling something from the main room. The heavy thud of a clockwork soldier’s footsteps carried through the floor and there was the sound of metal meeting metal. You scrambled up out of bed and panicked, noticing a gun on the bedstand and snatching it up before hurrying to the door to peek through the keyhole.

“Good to know you’re doing well, Jindosh,” an unfamiliar man’s voice sneered. A masked individual who could only be Corvo was standing across from Kirin, who had a gun trained on Corvo. Two clockwork soldiers stood in front of Kirin but he still looked terrified, eyes wide and nostrils flared. You accidentally dropped the gun in your shock and Corvo’s masked face whipped around to face the bedroom door. Kirin bolted up and fired the gun, cursing when Corvo dodged the bullet and hurried over to the door. You fell backwards just as he yanked it open, then stared up at him, completely as a loss for what to do.

“A little something to warm your bed, Jindosh?” Corvo scoffed, grabbing you by your arm and dragging you out into the room. “And here I thought I’d fileted your cock well enough to prevent that.”

“Let her go,” Kirin said, his mouth set in a grim line.

“You aren’t telling me you  _ care  _ about someone? That’s rich.”

“She has nothing to do with this.”

The clockwork soldiers advanced, but Kirin stopped them, probably afraid that they might kill you as collateral damage.

“Just kill me and get this over with, Corvo.”

Corvo dropped you and walked over to Kirin, grabbing him by the shirt and chuckling.

“You don’t deserve something that merciful. How about what you did to Anton, all those years ago? Seems very fitting to me. Let’s take a trip up to your lab.”

Kirin locked eyes with you but there was nothing to say. Corvo took off with him and you screamed, frozen with terror. It took a few moments for you to finally get yourself to move, and you surprised yourself with the collectedness of your reaction.

“Go after them!” you screamed at the soldiers frozen by Kirin’s order to stop, and they obeyed at once. You desperately searched around the office and ran back to grab the gun, then bolted for the open bunker door and tripped up the steps. You’d never been allowed into Kirin’s lab, but you knew exactly where it was. You had the entire layout of the mansion memorized, since Kirin had taken it upon himself to show you a map on multiple occasions. You ran as fast as your legs could carry you, half blinded by tears and panic but still somehow able to focus. When you reached the bedroom entrance to his lab the doors were already wide open and there was blood on the ground, as well as the shattered remains of a soldier. Maybe Corvo was injured.

You heard the low tones of Corvo’s voice and the sound of something powering up, and dropped into a squat so as to not make your presence known.

_ “Please don’t do this _ , my mind represents an entirely new age of scientific advancements,” Kirin begged; you rounded the curve of the hallway and your blood ran cold when you saw that Kirin was strapped into some sort of chair. You swore after quickly connecting the dots: electricity and a chair was never a good combination.

It happened too fast, you couldn’t have saved him even if you were as skilled as Corvo. Electricity burst to life and arced through Kirin’s head; he went rigid and then started convulsing. You stared, rage and grief welling up inside you, as well as murderous intent. You’d never been able to see yourself killing someone, but now it was the only thing you wanted to do. A clockwork soldier had just entered from across the room and was distracting Corvo, so you took your chance. The whole process seemed automatic: stand, advance, aim, shoot. The bullet ripped through Corvo’s thigh and he screamed, whirling to aim his crossbow at your head. But his shot was thrown off balance when two of the soldier’s long blades punched through his back and burst through his chest, creating an obscene human kebab. But you didn’t have time to enjoy his death; you ran over to Kirin and pulled the obvious-looking lever to stop the electrocution.

Kirin’s body went limp and flopped back into the chair; his eyes stared up at the ceiling for two long seconds before wandering over to your face. He looked confused and his jaw was drooping; his left hand weakly twitched in his lap while his right waved about aimlessly. 

“Who - who are you? What was I...what was I doing? I don’t feel well.”

“ _ FUCK!!!”  _ you screamed, snatching up a bottle and shattering it against the wall as Kirin vomited all over himself. You could barely keep from vomiting yourself at the horror and grief and rage, realizing only now that yes, you really did love Kirin. But you had realized it too late and been too afraid to say it, and now it didn’t matter since his brain was mush and he couldn’t even remember your name. You screamed again and smashed two more bottles, only to turn and see Kirin’s slack face on the verge of tears.

“Scaring me,” he whimpered, cringing away from you when you reached over to undo his restraints.

“I’m sorry, Kirin,” you apologized with as much self control as you could muster, and upon hearing your voice his face lit up.

“Y/N! Right on time! I was just about to do something...but I don’t remember what...oh gods,” he rambled, finally starting to cry when his shattered brain briefly remembered what had been done to him. "The other students will laugh at me now!"

“We’re going to go see Delilah, she can do something, I know she can,” you comforted, stopping to rub his cheek and trying to keep it together so as to not scare him again. The gesture effectively stopped his tears and allowed you to help lift him out of the chair. You slung his arm over your shoulders and made your way for the main hallway, pulling the lever to bring the walkway up. Kirin was barely able to walk and you could smell that he’d had an accident, but you were too dead set on getting him to Delilah as soon as possible to care. Corvo’s body was nowhere to be found, but there was a shocking amount of blood all over the floor and the clockwork soldier was still standing. Hopefully the bastard had dragged himself off somewhere to die a painful death hidden in the walls of the mansion.

“We’re going to fix this, Kirin. I promise.”

  
  
  
  


Kirin was playing with his jar of beetles when the ship reached port in Dunwall. One of the kitchen maids had taken him outside for fresh air to soothe his reflexive vomiting while you stayed inside and prepped for the journey. Apparently while you were occupied this new brain-damaged Kirin had established that his favorite creature in the world was Karnaca's shiny green spring beetles. They were the only thing that calmed him apart from you running your hands through his hair, which you’d been doing nonstop in a vain attempt to keep yourself calm too. You watched as Kirin tapped the glass and a stupid grin stretched across his face.

“Look at Billy go, he’s the fastest,” he said, shoving the jar in your face to make sure you saw it.

“He is,” you said absently, helping him get up and pulling your dust coat closer around your soldiers. The maid that had accompanied you put on his jacket and then followed both of you off the ship, carrying Kirin’s newfound necessities in a duffel bag while you walked with purpose towards the main street. Kirin’s walking had already improved so he was able to keep pace, but he often got sidetracked, trying to pet the wolfhounds and getting upset when you yanked his hand away so they didn’t bite him. Eventually you opted to hold his hand and pull him along, calling for the maid to hold onto his beetles so he didn’t accidentally break the jar and have a meltdown that would overstress him. His left hand was still somewhat useless so he dropped nearly everything now. People stared, realizing that Kirin Jindosh, the Grand Inventor, was being pulled along by a woman they didn’t know. It was quite a scene since word hadn’t gotten out about what had happened to Kirin.

When you got to the main gate a broad-shouldered witch stopped you, raising a brow when Kirin waved and mumbled that he was hungry.

“We weren’t expecting the Grand Inventor...is he all right?”

“He needs to see Delilah. There’s been an accident. Thanks to Corvo,” you explained, and she sighed.

“Head on up then.”

Another witch, a slender one, led you into the tower and silently accompanied you on the elevator ride to the throne room. Kirin was growing restless. No doubt old memories were being dragged up, frustrating him as he fought to understand his own thoughts and hold onto the fleeting ideas.

The witch led you into the throne room and bowed deeply to Delilah, who was staring at Kirin with a frown. You bowed and stepped forward, suddenly frightened again in the presence of such a powerful woman.

“What is the purpose of this visit?”

“Your Highness, there’s been an accident. Corvo Attano broke into Kirin’s bunker and...he put him in...some sort of electricity chair. And now Kirin is injured. He’s no longer himself.”

Your resolve broke on the last sentence and Delilah watched with raised brows as you fought tears. She looked surprised, and amused.

“A maid? Crying over the Grand Inventor? Well well. Seems Jindosh finally found himself a way to put that cock I saved for him to good use.” She stood and walked towards you; Kirin clutched his jar of beetles close and shied away from her.

“He’s very easily frightened now,” you whispered, and Delilah crossed her arms.

“There’s nothing I can do.”

“What? But Kirin said you fixed-”

“Yes, and that was his only allowance. I owed him and that was how I repaid him. I owe him nothing more. My power is stretched thin enough now since we've had to wage war within the Void to secure our dominance. Breanna visited Kirin often years ago, she may be more willing to spare her powers than I.”

You stared at her but her expression was stoney, with an infuriating undertone of amusement.

“But his mind is essential to the advancement of your Empire, and if anyone can do it you can.”

“My dear, there are other geniuses. I’ve already explained-”

“Shut the fuck up,” you hissed, and the witch behind you prickled. “You know he’s smarter than the others. What do I need to do?”

“Do not speak to your Empress like that, you mongrel!” the witch behind you yelled, moving up beside you to hit you.

Before the witch could smack you Delilah held out her hand, a look of curiosity replacing her mockery.

“You have unswerving passion, and resilience. You’re fearless,” she observed, leaning in close to stare directly into your eyes. “Tell me, what have you heard of the Sisterhood?”

“I know you are all powerful enough now to heal his mind,” you insisted, emboldened by the fact that she had not punished you for your insolence.

She laughed, a genuine sound that echoed through up to the high ceiling.

“True. All right, here is what I propose. I see great potential in you. I will heal Kirin if you agree to learn the ways of the Void and become a Sister.”

“Will I still be able to be with Kirin? I want to live in the mansion.”

She sneered and looked at Jindosh, who was currently drooling on himself and pulling leaves off of an exotic plant.

“We sisters do not usually lower ourselves for men, but if you insist...you shall study at our academy during the week and be permitted to see him three days a week. Perhaps more if you can maintain your studies on your own.”

“Fine. I’ll do it.” Frankly you were shocked that she hadn’t wanted you to cut off your breasts or something else equally ridiculous to restore Kirin’s mind.

Delilah nodded to the other witch, who took Kirin by the hand and tried guiding him out of the room. He resisted and dropped his jar of beetles, sending him into a fit of tears that prompted the witch to knock him out with a spell. Another witch materialized and helped her drag him out of the room, and it was all you could do to keep yourself from following them to make sure Kirin would be okay. Delilah watched the emotions cross your face and cocked her head.

“Interesting. You really do love him. I never thought him capable of such an emotion.”

“I do not need him to love me in order to love him.”

“You are wasting yourself on a useless man if you allow your emotions to be tethered to him with nothing in return.”

“He fucks me and shares a bed with me. That isn’t nothing.”

Delilah smirked and squinted at you.

“I sense violence on you. Recent bloodlust. Did you enjoy it?”

“I did what I had to. Shooting Corvo was quite satisfying.”

“Good. You'll need to enjoy it again in order to be a Sister. Now follow me, I’ll introduce you to your teachers and get you your beginner’s materials.”

She swept away through a side hallway and you followed her, exhaustion setting into your bones as the events of the past few days finally caught up with you. A new fear came to you then: now  _ you  _ were indebted to Delilah, a woman who wasn’t known for her compassion and whose witches ruled with a fist of violence. And it was painfully obvious that she was only doing this to gain another witch; she'd surely have let Kirin remain damaged the rest of his days otherwise. There'd been whispers that the witches' numbers had been dwindling since the murder of the Outsider, which meant that her Sisterhood must now fight to keep control of the Void. You had Kirin back, but there was no knowing if it would be worth it.

Only time could tell if you’d made the right choice.

  
  
  


Kirin recognized you immediately; he was lying on an operating table scribbled with arcane symbols while a sister cleaned rank potions from his temples. His eyes were no longer dull and robbed of intelligence, and his smile had its usual tight-lipped quality. You slipped your hand into his and finally allowed yourself to sob. The Sister glanced at you with exasperation but you glared right back through the tears, daring her to say anything lest you break her nose with a beaker.  
“Y/N,” Kirin said softly, looking surprised and concerned. “I had the worst nightmare. But what happened? Why are you crying? Why are we in Dunwall?”

“I’ll explain it on the way home. I love you, Kirin.”

He blinked and stared at you, giving you that look he got when someone said something scientifically incorrect.

“Love is simply a chemical reaction to ensure reproduction, darling. But I daresay, your chemicals are very well matched for mine.”

Kirin was definitely back.

“Now, let’s get home so I can conduct some experiments on you with a certain small, vibrating device…”

Whether or not he would ever grow to truly love you, you decided right then and there that being with him was  _ definitely _ worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr and Twitter: Maedhros36
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!! <333
> 
> Note: I know Kirin uses his prosthetic fingers as a makeshift pipe but I just thought a cigar would be hotter lol


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